The Sun. — London, England, 1809-09-22 00:00:00

6* advance of Sir Pavid ;gird, a very few days must erv.rre the junt;iion of our forces. To encounter the risk „itencting on this short interval was surely bet ter than to retire - without making a single effort in favour of our allies. " By a retreat on Portugal we should contribute to the subjurtion of the country which we were sent to assist, without securing that to which we should retire; we must alienate for ever the affections of the Spaniar6, impair the spirit and discipline of our own - army, and degrade our national charader in the eyes of all F,urope. " It is not easy to weigh with impartiality these opposite argutnents, unless we abstrad from our tmt)ds the knowledge of all that has since occurred, and consider the situation and views of the persons by whom at the moment the opinions were enter tained. It was natural that the officers of the British army of whw,e dissatistaelion and murmurs at the projected retreat Mr. Moore makes mentic :aving so lately had an opportunity of comparing th , .. prowess of our troops with those of the French in toe field of battle, having beheld our regiments o: - their ar rivtil at Sa!a Ilanca, improved in discipline, in activity, and even In health ; having hoped to see them achieve in Spain vklories still more brilliant than that of Viineira--7-it was natural that, with these impressions, the officers of Sir John Moore's army, feeling no per -lal responsibility, no dread of present or contin gent embarrassments, and no desire but that of sig nalizing thetn3elves, should be disposed to under value the suggestions of even the most necessary and provident/caution." - - [To be continued.] MAILS. AxitIV.T.D—I Flushing, i Dublin. Dut—z Gottenburgh, Cadiz, 3 Waterford. THE SUN. 101.114 QUID DICIRL IFALsUNI AUDZAT? LONDON, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1809. As we do not profess, like a Morning Paper of yesterday, to know the secrets of the Cabinet, we shall not attempt to explain to the public the nature of the divisiOns which have been supposed to exist in . it.' We may; however, safely assert, that the state ment given yesterday in the Morning Chronicle is not the true one; and in particular we ►night almost venture to declare, at last as, far as we have been 'able to colle, any thing, that there is an entire error in all that is said with regard to Mr. PERCEVAL. For our own part we should feel it to be wise to suspend i - udgment, while ignorance of the real state of things exists ; and we cannot do better, we think, • than recommend the same-to others. V.ife are unable to state the precise ground of dif ference which led to the unfortunate event between Lord CASTLEtEAGH and Mr. CANlNrsd,but we have much pleasure in informing our Readers that the lat ter is in no danger. He is at his house at Bromp . ton, where he passed as favourable a night as could be expected in his present situation. The wound is happily only. in the flesh, and the ball passed through without totiching the bone. Yesterday morning, his MAJESTY, Princesses AUGUSTA and SoeHIA, accompanied by Lady TuyNNE,• the Hon. G. VILLERS, and General EITZROY, took their usual ride in Windsor Park, and at noon returned to the Palace. The Dukes of CLARENCE and CUMBERLAND yes terday morning reviewed the Royal Horse Guards (i3iues) on Warkfield Yesterday his Royal Highness the Dike of CAM ERIDGE entertained his Royal Highness the Duke of YORK, and a selea party of Military Gentlemen, with an elegant dinner, at his house in Berkeley- biluare. • Yesterday his _Royal Highness the Dake of Cum- B ERLADID left town for Windsor, on a visit to their MAJESTIES and PRINCESSES. GENERAL REwBELL.—An erroneous account has oppeared in some of the Papers respelling this Of ficer. The following is an accurate stateinent of the eircumstances respeCting his Bight to this country : General REWBELL is the son of RaWBELL, one of the five Diredocs. The father being hostile to BUONA i- A RTE.'S ?lans of ambition, the latter of course mark ed him out as an object of hatred, ,which was also extended to his son. The General was sent to the West Indies, in his military capacity, by BuoNtv- PArA7E, probably in the hoe that he would fail a situ:tier to the climate. While the General was in t h e West Indies, he formed an intimacy of a most confideutal nature with JEROME Buozs - ArAaTE,.aed ullen the latter was made King of Westphalia, he took Gen. REWIiELL into his service, and appoint ed .him - Governor of Cassel, very trich to the dis pleasure of BLTUNAT'ARTE. Our leaders of course re collect the gallant exertions an , l'extraordinary march of the litike of 11BUNSWICK OELs, and his gallant followers ; Genet al REWBEI. L received orders to in tercept him, and he was informed in the order, in distino.t terms, that his head should tie answerable for his success. The Duke, however, succeeded in effecting his escape, and REV/BELL was too con scious of the Winger of his own tit6tion to think o: remaining any longer within the reach of 13uo iNAPARTE's power : he accordingly set out front Cas sel for Bremen. He travelled in his full uniform as G:oteril, and with his usual sttiie, having made out his own pakcoits. The night after he left Cassel, • same genkrartnes arrived there to at rest him. At li,Crnee, he embarked on board a neutral vessel, and zi:trit , ed about tliree weeks ago at Gravesend, v. here ;he atiil retnaios, not rece.ved, as has been stated, peieoisscin ,to come to LondOrt. wife is ai Behgolaiol, arid is ditily e et.lid in this country; and upon h.'• arrival, it is Sup i o,cd that the General 1 setoit: for Auler . l6::M. (I.llEw BELL is a native of is - a; the ci,lugi,lcr of a man Of considerable „I - overly there The Accounts given in the l - )foroing Papers of the affair. between Lord CASTLEAE.WH and 7.vlr. C:atiNING are incorre& in many particulars. We certainly do not approve of the pra&ice of duelling, least of all, do we admire it in persons of high offi, cial situations. If, however; if cannot be avoided, it becomes an a& of justice to examine into the respective con do of the contending parties, and, if there be blame, let it fall on the guilty head, We cannot enter into the cause of the dispute, which may form a subjekt for future discussion.; but we know that in this, as in every other instance, Mr. CANNING has anted as became a man of honour ando Gentleman. We have clearly ascertained that the challenge came from Lord CASTLEREAGH, and that whatever causes of complaint were alledged by his Lordship, were put beyond the power of being canvass ed or removed, by a peremptory demand, not of explanation, but of satisfaaion. We do not know whether Lord CASTLEREAGH ever en tered the field before,' but we believe that the first pistol which Mr. CANNING ever fired, he fired on Ibis occasion. We learn with much pleasure that the reported resignation of Mr. C. LONG is unfounded, as the conduct of this gentleman, public and private, has rendered his charaEter estimable in the opinion of all . parties. We have received several private letters by the Lisbon Mail. One of these, dated the 7th instant, states, that the affairs of Spain have assumed an improved aspect. VENEGAS has had a fresh partial engagement with the enemy, the result of which was decidedly in favour of the Spanish arms. Th a t Oilicer has transmitted to the Central Junta a de tailed account of the unfortunate engagement with General SEBASTIANI, the disastrous issue of which be attributes to the expeaecl and ill-fated move ments of General CUESTA. His LOSS, he owns, has been very great, particularly in Officers, some regi ments not having brought a single one out of the field of battle. The Supreme Central Junta hive promoted the following British Officers, for their condoa at the memorable battle of Tahivera, viz. Lord MACDUFF, and Colonel ROCHE, to be • Bri2adier•Generals.— Besides whlch, they are expected to be invested with the ancient and distinguished Order of Saint Jago. . . EXTRACT OF A LETTER, DATED CORLINNA., 14TII INsT. " There is nothing new here, all goes on well. We are in no dread of the French, as this Pilo vince is perfeCtly covered by Le army, which would be augmented to more than one-third of its actild force, had we arms for the Army of Reserve, w filch has been training for some time past. A co.tden tial person has arrived from Madrid, who reports, that the hospitals of that city are filled to mu excess with wounded French soldiers." According to the latest accounts from Seville, re ceived through the channel of the Lisbon Mail, we learn that General VAN EGAS attributes the defeat of his army, northward of La Mancha, to !he eireum. I stance of the forces under Generals CUESTA and WELLEsLey having withdrawn westward of Tala vera, without his having been apprised of such a ; movement, and he states, as the consequence of their disappearance, that the whole force of the French was unexpededly combined against him, when his retreat became unavoidable. He says that some of his regiments were reduced almost to no thing during the conflia, and that several of them had not a single surviving officer. Yesterday letters arrived from Corunna to the date of Friday last. It was asserted, that considerable apprehensions had been excited in Gallicia by the approach of the French, who Were even said to be within two days march of Cornnna. We now learn that the rumour was entirely false ; that there had been no battle between the French and the army lately under General ROHANA ; and that every thing there was in a state of perfect tranquility. By the last accounts, the French, under Marshal Nay, were at Salamanca, which is upwards of 300 miles from either Corunna or Ferrol, and the army of the Mar quis occupied the intermediate country on the north westerii confines of Leon, excepting the detachment under BALLASTEROS, at Santander, and another di vision seat towards Burgos, composed of 10,000 men, •to attack 6000 of the enemy, supposed to be in that neighbourhood. • One of our letters from Cprunna mentions, that the whole city of Madrid is converted into an hos pital for the reception of the sufferers in the battle of Talavera. A Cabinet Council was held yesterday at lalf two o'clock, at the Foreign Office. Though nothing can be know❑ respe&ing the objet of the meeting, it is not uninteresting at the „present mo►nent to know by whom it was attended. We understand that the Ministers present were, the Lord CHAN CELLOR, the Earls of LIVERPOOL, HARROWBT, BATHURST, CAMDEN, CHATHAM,' and WEsTmoR. LAND ; Lord MULGRAVE. Lord LF.VESON GowEtt, and the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER. Lord CASTLEREAGH returned yesterday, after the duel, to his house in Bruton-street, and afterwards set off for Stamnore. A letter from Hamburg!), dated the Pd instant, brought by a vessel which escaped from the Elbe, states, that the French garrisons in the neighbour hood had almost entirely disappeared, having been wilhdrawn, no doubt, for the purpose of reinforcing the amy of the Prince of PONTE CORY() on the banks of the Scheldt. The Tunnel is completed through Hay-hill to the Forest of Dean, which is connected with the river Severn, and a channel thus established, by which the valuable productions of the Forest may be brought to market with a facilty hitherto unknown. The dress worn by Mrs. Sam°Ns on Monday n4;111, in the chorale; of Lady Macbeth, was a cor red copy of that worn by Mary, (-111 ; -en of Scoti a at h:r marriage with Lord DARNLEY. NAVAL N EW). DOVER, SEPT. s I .—Last evening, between eight. and nine, a French privateer made her appearance on our coast, and attempted to carry oft a light brig, from the westward, but, I am happy to say, was unsuccessful. The guns from the heights, castle, and forts were fired; and had the effe& of driving the privateer off. The brig is gone into the Downs. I have not been able to ascertain her name, or what damage she received. Six, P.M.—Another privateer may at this time be plainly discerned about half way between the French coast and ours. The sloop Rolla is in the Roads, and no doubt our batteries will be in readi ness to give them a reception. The Lively frigate captured, and sent in, a very fine French lugger privateer, mounting i 6 guns, last evening, about seven. PORTSMOUTH, SEPT. 22. —Arrived this day the Citr islian VII. of 74 guns, and Wizrspite, of 74 guns ; also his Majesty's ship goshawk from a cruize. Sailed the Persian gun-brig on a cruize. YALMOUTH, SEPT. 2 I.—T4e William, of Eustaff, in Kniphausen, from Bourdeaux to Riga, with wine, lost 'the convoy by getting on the Whiting Sand, got off without damage, and proceeded on her voyage the 18th. Convoy now wind-hound in Yarmouth Roads. Remaining the Roebuck, Redbreast, Starling, Dili gence, Dauntless, Acute, Richmond, and Havoc. GREENOCK, SEPT. 18.—Accounts were received here on Friday, that the ship Neptune, Captain SMITH, of this port, was captured 24th February last off the coast of Peru, by a Spanish privateer of 22 guns and 170 men, and carried intotallao, after a gallant defence, in which 7 men were killed and 9 wounded on board the Neptune. The Union, RENNIE, from St. Vincent's arrived at Port-Glasgow on Saturday ; parted from the fleet on the night of the t sth ultimo, in a heavy gale of wind, which continued till the evening of the 17th ; did not see any of the fleet since parting. The ship Tyson, bound to Clyde, was captured and burnt, by a French privateer, on her way from Martinique to join convoy at Tortola. Spoke, on the 6th instant, the schooner Eliza, of Exeter, from Milford, bound to Newfoundland, out three weeks, in lat. 55. 38. long 30. N. on the 12th the ship (Pau, frotn Quebec, bound for Liverpool, on s.the 18th, the brig June, of Maryport, troth -Nova Scotia, bound for Belfast all well.--Same day, saw a vessel under jury lower masts, without a bowsprit, lat. 55. IC. lung. 9. 30. DEAL, SEPT. 21.—r= Arrived his Majesty's ship Espiegle from a cruize. FALMOUTH, SEPT:. 19. Sailed the Princess Charlotte Packet with two Mails for Lisbon, and the Dispatch with Mails for adiE. RAMSGATE, SEPT. Ig.—We have just witnessed a scene in which the gallantry and skill of some of the the boatmen of this coast merits not only to be re corded, but rewarded.—A boat belonging to the Diana frigate was upset, about three miles from this harbour, when a Ramsgate boat, called the Nile, WiLx.rNsf)ti master, with a promptitude highly to their credit, went off • in a manner to excite the admiration of Innumerable spe&ators, many of whom were seamen, and after extraordinary difficulty, and no small personal risque, succeeded in preserving and bringing safely on shore the Lieutenant, Mid shipman, and the whole of the crew. NAVIGATION OF THE FRITH OF FoßTn.—The 1 Commissioners of the .Northern Lighthouses have published the following communications : Notice is hereby given, that on the 15th curt. or first favourable weather thereafter, a large cann buoy, carrying a gilded ball, 18 inches diameter, will be moored with a mushroom anchor and chain, near the North Carr Rock, situate olf Fileness, in the Frith of Forth, in north lat. .56. 16. and west long. 2. 37. • The mooring will be laid down in 10 fathoms at low water of string-tides, and the bearings by com , pass, • from the buoy, will be as follows, viz. The Carr Rock will bear from the buoy, W. half • N. distant 200 fathoms. I Balcomie House, W. by N. distant one mile and an halt. Crail Steeple, W. S. W. dist. three miles. lilmenie Craig, seen over the low point of Fife ness. S. W. by W. distant one mile and a half. Light of May, S. S. W. distant six miles. The Commissioners of the Northern Lighthouses having ordered a survey of this dangerous rock in the month of January last, with a'view to the erec tion of a beacon, and having, in the mean time, di reded a buoy to be laid down, and a spare buoy and moorings to be kept in readiness, in case of drifting, all persons are requested to pay attention thereto, and give the earliest notice to the Secretary of the Commissioners, or to Mr. R. Stevenson, their En gineer, and all reasonable charges incurred in saving or recovering this, or any of the other buoys or ap paratus belonging to the service of the Northern Lighthouses, will be defrayed. The Princess Augusta packet is aVived at Fat mouth, with a Malt from the Leewards Mail is not yrt viz SP4NISH CORTES. In our extraets from the Spanish Papers, intro duced into our columns yesterday, we had the satis faaion of submitting to the attention of our Readers a itoyal Order respelling the Convocation of the Cortes, which is represented as being " the moat important obje& that can or ought to employ the Supreme Jtmta." Vie cannot avoid expressing our great satista&ion on the discovery that the Excrutive Council of Spain is at last convinced of the necessity of this measure, which we have so repeatedly urged as indispensable to the salvation of the country.—A short explanation of the constitution and duties o/ the Spanish Cortes will shew the reasons which have , induced us to recommend so strenuously the recog nition of its authority. It is not generally known, but it is a fa& of great: consequence, and highly honourable to the intelli gence and spirit of the Spanish nation, that. the re presentatives of the Commons formed a consthuent part in the Supreme Assemblies of that kingdom a century . before they were admitted to that rank in the other European nations. Zurita mentions r: convention of the Cortex in the year 113,?, nt which the procuradores de las eirulalcs y villas were present. The Cortes was composed of the Nobility, the Clergy, and the Representatives of the Cities. They were the depositories of die Legislative Govern.- ment, the Executive being confiffed to the King, under the itispeCtion, however, in some provinces at least, of the ..1 - 11,Sti=, or Supreme Judge, who, like the Ephori with the Lacedemoninns, was the prO teetor of the People and -the controuler of the Prince. From Gil Gonzales de Avila, who gives the Writ of summons to the town of Abula, in ;390, wq, learn, that Bishops, Dukes, Marquisses, the Mast-erg of the three Military Orders, as Condes and Ricos Hombres, were required w attend the Cortes. The sending Members on that occasion were 4R in number, and their Representatives t q 5. These places commissioned more or fewer members to dism charge their important funtaions in that assembly, according to their rank and dignity, which-appears to. have been nearly in . proportion to their papal. lation. There was one regulation which, in midern timis at least, would be extremely embarrassing :--no law could pass without the assent of every individuil of the Cortes. Its powers were prodigiou,ly extrosive-I without its permission no tax could be impoi.ed, no money could be coined, and no war could either be commenced or terminated. It governed all tlip ferior Courts, redressed al(grievances, ow) inspected every department of public administration., l'he King could neither prorogue nor dissolve it ; and its session continued during 40 days. For several cen., turies prior to the 14th it met annually, but subse quently to that period biennially. Those who ap plied for relief to the Cortes did not approach that Assetnbly as lowly supplicants and humble peti tioners;laut they demanded its assistance as the ttirth right of freemen. • It is well known, that until the time of Ferdinand and Isabella, at the close of the 15th century, the k'ngdoms of Leon, Castile, and Arragon, weres_nnt, twounited. former, rFlrrrasto the ow the silenceports and d the historians ie of tti at t tz : rigs,C orte vl s, ,e d u a r r i e n g u n t d h e e r the fourteenthnecessity and fifteenth ss t y of resortingfteen thc t e o n t t h n ; annals of Arragon to supply Ow ch.ficiency, but it iS probable that we shall commit no material erre./ in supposing that these contemporaneous establish': ments were similar in the extent of, their power 3: and privileges. The Cortes of Arragon not only opposed tho ate tempts of their Kings to increase their revenues and extend their prerogatives, but they claimed and eX; ercised for some time the extraordinary power 0. appointing the ,officers of Lis household, 2 's well ag the members of his Council. The Corte's looked with a jealous eye upon the military authority, Eq'a in order to controul it, rfised troops under its own immediate orders, and nominated the persons who were to command them. In the year 1:503, a n act of the Cortes is on record, conceding to the .Kifit permissiOn to appoint Officers for a body o f troo p s : destined to be employed in Italy. We are told that the Cortes of Arragon wer e vi gilantly attentive to all the ceremonies sanctioned by antiquity, in their proceedings, and the 14,110 w. mg remarkable fact is stated in support of - the allegot , n " According to the established, laws and customs of Arragon, no foreigner had liberty to enter the. H a ll in which the Cortes assembled. Ferdinand, in the year 1481, a;:pointed his Queen, Isabella, Regent of the kingdom, while he was absent during the course of the campaign. The law required that . 11 the Cortes; but uldt a ake s the b l a a was a f e iger , t hof fidelity L, e tore she could be admitted, the Co r t es thought it n eces sarY to pass an Act, authorising the Serjeant-Porter . to open the door of the Hall to allow her to elltel olrietyn in presence resence ROYAL VISIT TO CLAREMONT. Mr. CHARLES ELLIS, the present po;sessor of thi noble domain, received, on Wednesday, the honourof a visit from tbe QUEEN and P R I NC E and p - :„d " The Royal Party were expected about t , „ arrived exaaly at that time.' T hey came by lands, where they left th e ir gu a rds and carr ia g es •. taking the carriages of the D u ke of Yogic ; to t he first of which tat th e Q UEEN an d the. Duchess of YORK; in the sec on d, the Princesses AUGUS TA, ELlzATttrrn, and SorNIA. The only compa n y in vited, besides th e R o y a l F am ily, were the Earl a nd Countess of LIVERPOOL, hut the entertain men t was tw extremely serb. Amongst other circums tances of preparation, two Confeaioners from town had been employed for the six preceding days. Lady HARVEY, the mother-in-law of Mr. ELI- 15 1 assisted him in doing the honours of the house, presented her two grandsons, Lord Flow Alto a n „„ ry brother, to the QUEEN, who received them graciously. On the arrival of her MAJESTY, a band struck UP " God save the King," but there was no and he Royal Party, after a short tour in th e g r o unds, a,vay, at tour, to Oatlands, wherelheY di"u, with the Duchess. n M. the evening, Mr, 1,14 gave a dinner to a liuge party, con cert ;